Lessons Learned

Back in November, we began a project that we thought would only take a few weeks to complete. Many months later, here we are finally at the end of a long road. When Jake went to law school he bought a table set from the illustrious K-mart for $30. The table and chairs were a gorgeous orange stain color which though we loved, didn't quite match the rest of our kitchen. Rather than buy a new set at K-mart, we thought we'd refinish the old orange one. We ended up saving money, so long as our labor was worth only a penny an hour. We did learn many valuable lessons from this experience though. Lesson #1 Choose the colors you want BEFORE you start painting. Lesson #2 Cheaper paint from Wal-Mart is not always better. Lesson #3 Sanding inside the house makes a little bit of a mess! Lesson #4 Winter time is not ideal for refinishing furniture, most of which needs to be done outside. Lesson #5 That old orange color wasn't so bad. Lesson #6 Paint fumes will fill the entire house and give you a buzz for a week. Lesson #7 Don't plan a get-together at your home to force youselves to complete the project (our guests are still coming down from the buzz they got). Lesson #8 Ask for advice before starting, not once you've alread screwed-up. Lesson #9 When painting indoors use a drop cloth or a lot of newspaper. Lesson #10 Refinishing furniture is an adventure and was a lot of fun doing together. Having learned all of these vital lessons we would definitely do it again.

Grand Canyon Adventure

We decided to get out of the cold weather for President's Day weekend and go to the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately the Grand Canyon didn't get the memo that it was supposed to be warm. We headed out Friday morning and made the drive though southern Utah and stayed that night just over the Arizona border in Page, AZ (near Lake Powell). Just seeing Lake Powell made us wish we had a boat. Saturday morning we awoke early and made the two hour drive to the Grand Canyon. There was snow on the ground, the wind was blowing, but the view was spectacular. We spent the day driving along the south rim, braving the cold at each of the look-outs or vistas along the way. Some of the stops were a little precarious with icy trails, severely lacking guard rails, and 5,000 ft drop-offs. We enjoyed the day there and have vowed that we will never take our kids there until they are grown.

We drove back to Page that night, and at some point picked-up another passenger, a broken tire chain. After arising early and getting ready for church we were surprised to find we had a flat tire thanks to the broken tire chain. How grateful we were that we weren't in the middle of nowhere on the side of the road, and that Bev had the impression to fill-up the spare. We spent the next hour changing the tire. It was an adventure to say the least, as the jack didn't lift the car high enough to change the tire. With some help from a kind stranger we were able to make it work.

We then decided to head to Zions National Park where we hoped the weather would be warmer and the spare would not fail us. We were blessed on both accounts. Zions was gorgeous, and most importantly warm and sunny. We spent the rest of Sunday looking at some of God's amazing creations. Monday moring we decided to hike the Emerald Pools and had a wonderful time looking at waterfalls, and the beautiful red rock canyons. We made the trip home that night and thankfully the spare tire held-up. We had a wonderful trip and were glad for the vacation. We're looking forward to warm weather and many more adventures.

Goodbye to a Prophet

We have been wanting to write this entry for a while and are finally getting around to it. We had the special opportunity to attend the viewing of our beloved prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley. We both left work a little early in hopes of beating the crowd, unbeknownst to us everyone else had the same idea. The line stretched around the conference center in both directions (a testament to how much President Hinckley was adored). It was cold but the sun was still shining and we thought it would be an hour wait outside . . . little did we know our adventure had just begun. Three and half hours later we were finally rescued from the freezing wind and cold temperatures. We literally could not feel our fingers and toes by the time we made it in. Then we began the hour and half wait inside dethawing and watching the recording of President Hinckely's birthday celebration. Finally it was our turn. We had the opportunity to walk beside his casket and see the prophet one last time. The five hour wait was well worth the experience. It was a solemn moment to see the mortal tabernacle of one who embodied a life of service, a moment we will not soon forget. We're grateful for his wisdom and service and now look forward as President Monson assumes his new calling.

Winter Adventures

It has been far too long since our last post. For all of our faithful readers (Mindy)... this one is for you:) We thought we would catch you up on what we have been doing to try and enjoy the crazy weather we have been having. On New Years Eve day we went sledding with Megan and Ben (Bev's siblings). It was a lot of fun with just a few minor casualties. The first casualty was when Ben's sled broke in two after going off a jump, however that did not deter him for using it for the rest of the day!
The next casualty is when Megan started feeling a little breeze down her backside. We were all very thankful she had snowpants on.

The final casualty was on the last jump of the day. Ben finally made it all the way down the hill and made the jump, however he ended up with a sprained ankle. He was proud he had finally made the jump though, so I guess it was worth it.



Somehow Jake and I escaped any major casualties and just ended up with a couple of sore tail bones. It ended up being a very entertaining and fun day.

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Our other winter adventure was going snowshoeing a few weeks ago with some friends. We went along the pipeline trail up Millcreek Canyon. It was such a beautiful day and felt so nice to be outside enjoying nature again. We had a lot of fun playing in the snow and especially sliding down the mountain on our bottoms. It was a little scarry weaving through the trees as we slid down the mountain. We lost our voices screeming and laughing the whole way down and I think the people at the bottom may have wondered what kind of crazy creature was coming towards them. We can't wait to go again sometime soon.

O' Christmas Tree, O' Christmas Tree

Okay, so it's been nearly a month since we actually put up our christmas tree but since not enough people live close by to see it, we felt we must post it for your viewing pleasure!!!

Bev's family has a yearly tradition of cutting down christmas trees the day after Thanksgiving. Every year they head down to central Utah near Richfield and spend the day at Grandma and Grandpa Miller's house and on the mountain in search of the perfect tree. We had a wonderful time at the house this year, catching-up with family and eating hot-chaws (a topic for another time).

This year Bev and I were the last to find our tree. Some were lucky enough to find their perfect tree close to the base of the mountain and right off the side of the road. Others of us had to search the whole mountain for the perfect tree. Bev and I hiked to the top of the mountain, where we stopped and found our tree for the year. Then we had to wait for the chainsaw (operated by Bev's dad) to catch-up to us. We then began the journey down the mountain carrying our fresh tree.

After some hot cocoa we loaded up the trees and headed home. We couldn't wait to put up our tree, so the minute we got home we put it in the stand, turned on some christmas music and decorated it that night. We stayed up way past our bedtime, but we had a lot fun decorating the tree. Best of all, our house smells like moutain pine...a perfect air freshener.

We wish you all a very merry christmas!!!!

Let The Bidding Begin. . .

Well our pottery class officially ended this past Tuesday when we picked up our creations we've been working on for the last couple months. Let's just say that they didn't turn out quite like we'd planned. The art of glazing isn't exactly precise: colors change (especially when mixed), some become really glossy, some glazes run and blend together, etc. We were somewhat disappointed in the way many of our "artistic creations" turned out, and think they looked much better before we glazed them. Nonetheless, we loved the class and the chance to learn something together. We'd love to take it again sometime (now that we're experts we'd surely make amazing pieces of pottery). In the end we each took home five different "creations."
These are Bev's five:

These are Jake's five:

And this is the tragedy of the decade!!! At the pinnacle of the class, while in the prime of my wheel-throwin' skills, I created a perfect chip n' dip bowl (all one piece). It was eventually supposed to be glazed blue and white with Cougar symbols on it. Alas, the teacher failed to mention that these only work 20% of the time because the center bowl and outside bowl dry at different rates and the clay cracks. I was heartbroken.

Anyway, these ten ceramic wonders, miracles really, are still on display on our kitchen counter because we have absolutely no idea where to put them. So let the bidding begin . . . do I hear a nickel? Who'll give me a dime?

Cougar Game

Our latest adventure has been cheering on our Cougars. We recently watched our Cougars stomp the CSU rams. We enjoyed our trip down memory lane in Provo, the nice weather, and dinner at the Malt Shoppe. We're looking forward to the rest of the season and especially stomping the guts out of the Utes!!

Award Winning Chili....Well ALMOST

Tonight was our annual ward trunk r' treat and chili cook-off. We had a lot of fun handing out candy to the kids and seeing their costumes. But the highlight by far was the chili cook-off. This was my first attempt at cooking chili, and really I had no idea how much effort it took and how much fun it would be. I found a receipe online and then adapted it by adding things and taking things out (like the beer). It took about an hour of prep time and two hours to cook. It was yummy....but apparently the judges would have rather that I left the beer in!! I lost by one clove of garlic...whatever that means!!

Tonight also gave us another chance to don our cute halloween costumes. Bev made them from literally nothing and we were able to wear them to the Homer Family Halloween Party. She did such a great job. I don't think there is a cuter hot dog in the world! Really this was such a great costume.....because it meant I got to hold her all night long. Obviously, I was the bun, fully equipped with mustard and ketchup.

Defender of the Constitution

"I do solemnly swear that I will support, obey, and defend the Constitution of the United States . . . " This was the beginning of the oath I took yesterday as I was sworn into the Utah State Bar. It's official, I'm a licensed attorney!! It was a great time at the Salt Palace with Bev, my parents, and Bev's parents in attendance. It is a huge relief to finally have the bar behind me. At first I didn't think too much of being sworn in, until I took the oath and realized the obligations I was undertaking. I am now officially a "Defender of the Constitution." How cool is that?!?

Honeymoon to Fiji